Quote: Andy Gilder "Scrums are now so much more about how much power you can put into the initial hit and how long you can sustain it as well.
With increases in size and strength in the forwards, there's so much force going through that initial hit (even under crouch, bind, set) that it can be difficult for the props to control the bind. You've got a set of forces coming from the second rows behind you, and an opposing set of forces coming in the opposite direction. The second you lose your balance either your footing is going to go and the scrum collapses, or you're going to lose your bind just to try and stay on your feet.
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Some props used to cut the sleeve off their outside arm to prevent a bind from their opponent bck when they had baggy shirts, but now the skin tight shirts do add to the difficulty of binding properly. I completely agree regarding the massive amount of power going through the props now, it's pretty scary. The real problem is the one you highlight in your first sentence - the power through the initial hit. What they should be doing is taking the weight, they should only be pushing once the ball is put in. In this the laws didn't change, the scrum should not be moving when the ball is put in. What's been hapening is that hookers don't hook anymore, there's a hit then a drive and the pack walks over the ball as it's blatantly fead.
Under prevsious years laws (crouch, touch, pause, engage) the scrum was never still - the ball was going in right on engage. If they can get the scrum to be still before the ball comes in then there won't be the momentum of 8 massive guys moving as they engage and drive simultaneously. This should help reduce the power going throught the front row.
As I said, the difference in body position if you bind correctly is significant and massively improves the stability of the scrum. It also makes it more difficult for a prop to bore in as it squares up his shoulders.
I also agree that referees misunderstanding of why a scrum goes down and the desire of the people who run the game to avoid continuous resets has resulted in arbitrary penalty deceisions that make very little sense.